Can Bryant carry Cowboys to playoffs?

IRVING – Jason Garrett once described 6-foot-2, 220-pound Dez Bryant as having a physique that looks like it was “chiseled out of a mountain.”

With four games left in the season and their faint playoff hopes still alive after Sunday night’s come-from-behind 38-33 win over Philadelphia, the Dallas Cowboys should climb onto Bryant’s broad back and see if he’s strong enough to carry them into the postseason.

“I’m very confident,” Bryant told the Dallas Morning News after snagging six passes for 98 yards and two touchdowns against the Eagles. “I’m just getting started.”

For the first time in his three-year, star-crossed career, Bryant is consistently playing like the difference-making wide receiver the Cowboys hoped he would be when they drafted him in the first round in 2010.

In the last four games, Bryant has amassed 29 catches for 475 yards and six TDs. He’s notched at least one TD in four consecutive games, the longest streak of his career, and his two scores against the Eagles marked only the sixth time in franchise history a player has had multiple receiving TDs in back-to-back games.

“Dez is growing before our eyes,” Garrett said.

Bryant’s two scores Sunday night showcased his speed and strength.

In the third quarter, he snagged a short pass from Tony Romo before rocketing past Eagles defenders for a 23-yard score that made it 17-17.

In the fourth quarter, Bryant caught a swing pass from Romo before bullying his way past cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie into the end zone for a 6-yard TD that gave the Cowboys the lead for good with 5:35 left.

“I’ve got to run through him,” Bryant said. “It’s just one of my things. I don’t want to get tackled by one guy.”

Four plays earlier, Romo had gone deep to Bryant on third-and-two for a 35-yard gain, a play that underscored the growing confidence the veteran quarterback has in the budding star.

“Tony believes in me,” said Bryant, who is 12 yards shy of his first 1,000-yard receiving season. “I want that to increase.”

Dehydration and double coverage frustrated Bryant for much of the game, but he kept his cool, another sign that he may finally be growing up.

“It’s all about not losing composure and being focused on just doing what’s right,” said Bryant, who went to the locker room at one point in the second half to receive intravenous fluids.

Bryant seemed to be on a self-destructive course earlier this year after he allegedly hit his mother during an altercation at her home, a dust-up that resulted in a domestic violence charge. But in an agreement with the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office, the charge will be dismissed if he stays out of trouble for a year and continues anger-management counseling.

“He’s being noticeably dedicated, noticeably committed if you want to compare it to months ago or at least two years ago,” Jerry Jones said. “It’s showing. It’s showing on and off the field for him.”

He’s teammates have also noticed.

“Dez is awesome,” rookie cornerback Morris Claiborne said. “The things I’ve seen him do since I’ve been here, he always wows me. I’m just trying to get to that level as well. It’s about going out and playing consistent each and every game.”

Said center Ryan Cook, “It’s a fun thing to watch when you see a guy like Dez transitioning and start to get it more and more every week. We’re excited to have him on our team.”

That excitement level will soar if Bryant can carry them into the postseason.